North Park University Joins President Obama’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge

Initiative Promotes Community Service and Interfaith Understanding

CHICAGO – (August 5, 2011) Leaders from North Park University joined representatives of other higher education institutions and the Obama Administration in Washington, D.C., August 3 for the kickoff of the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge.

North Park is one of nearly 250 colleges and universities in the United States participating in the challenge, aimed at strengthening communities through service and uniting people across lines of faith through dialogue and understanding. The challenge is an initiative of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. North Park was represented at the inaugural event by Dr. David L. Parkyn, president; Dr. Joseph Jones, provost; and Dr. Terry Lindsay, dean of diversity and intercultural programs.

North Park University, located in the center of Chicago’s diverse Albany Park neighborhood, has promoted community service and interfaith understanding for decades, Parkyn said. “This fits North Park so well because we come out of a faith tradition that is committed to compassion, mercy, and justice. We are located in a city where people and expressions of faith come together. This all fits very closely with our commitments and goals,” he said.

It’s important that North Park and other participating institutions bring service and interfaith dialogue together. “You talk about your faith because you ask each other what motivates you to do service,” Parkyn said.

When he announced the challenge earlier this year, President Obama called on institutions of higher education to commit to advancing interfaith and community service initiatives over the course of the 2011-2012 academic year. Beyond that, each participating institution should consider how to sustain the challenge’s momentum beyond one year, Parkyn said.

A mix of participating college and universities were represented at the challenge’s kickoff, including community colleges, Christian colleges and universities, public and private research universities, and liberal arts schools.

“The thing that was really refreshing was that there were 250 colleges and universities from around the country interested in doing this important work,” Lindsay said. “I was really pleased with the diversity of the institutions and the quality of the institutions.”

Several Chicago-area colleges and universities are participating, as well as higher education institutions in Illinois and surrounding states. That provides opportunities for North Park students, faculty, and staff to collaborate with other institutions to promote community service and interfaith relationships, Lindsay said.

Reflecting on the challenge, Jones said North Park students who articulate their own faith need to understand other faiths as well. “The educated person of the 21st Century should have a good understanding of people of other faiths if we are called to love our neighbor and work for the common good,” he said. “The challenge is for the universities and faith communities to come together to work for issues in their own communities.”

Participants heard from key Obama Administration leaders, such as Joshua Dubois, special assistant to the president and executive director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. University leaders were told of 13 different departments in the federal government that maintain similar offices which can serve as resources for the challenge, Jones added.

In its proposal, North Park University said it planned to expand two existing campus-wide service opportunities to include people from different faith traditions. These include “Vikings Kid’s Day,” in which North Park students are paired with young children for a day of “friendship, food, fun, and football”; and North Park Community Service Day, in which students, faculty, staff, and alumni develop relationships to facilitate volunteer service projects with various community partners.

The University is also planning specific events this year to promote interfaith engagement. North Park has planned an event commemorating the tenth anniversary of 9/11 to honor Christians and Muslims for Thursday, September 15; a workshop and film presentation, “Fostering Christian-Muslim Relationships,” during the Student Diversity Leadership Conference on October 28; a panel of three Chicago-area women who promote, support, and lead interfaith dialogue on November 14; a panel discussion on relationships between faith communities and health practices and beliefs; and a health fair to reach out to people in Albany Park with area partners such as Compassionate Care and Swedish Covenant Hospital.